Your Stories

20 year old Siofra lives in Northern Ireland, and has recently been diagnosed with a rare illness. She recently started sharing her journey on Twitter, and hopes to raise awareness of the condition, and help others who are also struggling. Here’s a little piece she wrote for us… My name is Siofra and I’m 20

Ellen Sheehan is a transition year student in Eureka Secondary School, in Kells County Meath, Ireland. She wrote this piece on her blog about how people react to the clothes we wear. Please follow Ella’s blog at https://unspokenbutdefinitelyfelt.wordpress.com/ I had and always will be the girl, who thrives off the idea of beauty. Who loves the

January Winters is one of Ireland’s most successful models. We were wondering if modelling as a career really is the glam life we thought it was. So we asked her. Here’s what she has to say….. Let me be honest, modelling isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I originally thought models flew around in

18 months ago Claire Fulham was diagnosed with alopecia areata. She is a mother of 2, Farragh and Elliott. She started a Facebook and Snapchat documenting her hair loss and has gathered thousands of followers thanks to her honesty and sense of humour. I was lucky enough to have a really cool phone call with

Dyslexia is a learning difference affecting the way the brain processes written and spoken language. It is not laziness, disruptive behavior, or a general lack of comprehension. To see for yourself how some people struggle to read, have a look at this website and you’ll understand. Siobhan works in finance in London. She manages huge

Science Week 12th-19th November 2017 is alive and kicking. This is really exciting for science lovers who want to talk about science all the time, but some people think science is boring. I have spent over ten years working in science so I strongly disagree with them. To persuade you that science is awesome, I

Earlier this week, we came across Niamh in a beautiful serendipitous moment. Aged 19, Niamh was diagnosed with the same condition (auto immune encephalitis and an acquired Brain Injury) as Shona, same hospital, same doctor, same story. Just like Shona, Niamh’s life hung in the balance for some time, but, thankfully, she survived, and fought her way

If you’re ever in the mood for an omelette, and you live in the Galway area, Aisling Rock is your only woman. The 21 year old Culinary Arts student at GMIT has just returned home from Barcelona with the title of European Chef Young Chef 2017. Aisling was the only female Chef in the final.

Last Year, which was my Transition Year, was the best year of my life. Now, I realise that seems like a bit of an extreme declaration, but I do stand by it. Transition Year allowed me to get in touch with things I knew I was passionate about and try things I never would have

We first published this post by Clodagh a year ago. And its so good, we decided to share it again…. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been the way I am. Seems like a pretty vague statement. But it’s true… what is that way? FAT. F. A. T. Fat… I’ve heard every joke I can

When I was small I had an imaginary friend called Jenny. I’m the youngest of 4 girls and my sisters were a good bit older than me and would never play with me so I came up with Jenny. Jenny and I would have tea parties, I’d tell her all of secrets and we would

Family stuff happens, and sometimes it hurts. This young lady wrote this letter that she will never send to her Dad, but wanted to get how she felt off her chest. Writing stuff down is a great way to get your head around how you feel, and sometimes helps a little. Dad, I have so

Everyone has different views and opinions on the way the world works. This is something you basically learn in school. But when it comes to the online world, somehow, some people feel that they have the right to say whatever they want to others, and in some cases, will go out of their way to

Can we all just take a second to appreciate Maysen Forbes, who is currently walking 560 miles from the bottom to the top of Ireland, to raise awareness and funds for Mental Health Ireland. Maysen, who has suffered with “anxiety, depression and self-harm” in the past, is just over half way through her monster hike, which

Every 30 September, people from all over the country gather together at the March for Choice in Dublin to march in solidarity to Repeal the 8th Amendment. With a referendum just around the corner, it’s as important than ever to stand together to Repeal the 8th. The Citizens’ Assembly has shown that Ireland is pro-choice, and it’s important for

In honour of World Mental Health Day, here’s a little thought by Abigail… What do you see in these pictures? If I asked you, you’d probably say a happy carefree girl from the looks of it. And yeah, if i saw photos like these of someone else I’d probably say the same. But you never

Social media is everywhere around us these days – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat… the list is endless. We are all guilty of spending too much time scrolling through the latest posts, or checking how many likes our recent selfie has gotten. But it was when I started to spend hours obsessing over what my friends

Here at Shona, we are very keen to feature as many voices as possible. To share our stories, opinions & experiences, to celebrate our differences and to highlight the loads and loads of amazing women and girls we have here in Ireland and all over the world. We want to learn from each other and